Friends group of Miami’s WLRN fires CEO Victor Kendall

Published on Current.org, September 3, 2014

Victor Kendall has been let go as c.e.o. of Friends of WLRN, the fundraising support group for the Miami joint licensee, according to the group’s board chair.

His immediate dismissal was confirmed Wednesday by Friends of WLRN board chair Michael Kreitzer in a statement to Current.

“Our organization is appreciative of Victor’s service and we wish him well in his future endeavors,” Kreitzer said. A Friends of WLRN spokesperson declined further comment on Kendall’s dismissal.

Kendall had been with the organization since June 2012, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to his appointment, he had worked as v.p. for philanthropy and major gifts at KERA in Dallas and as director of philanthropy and major gifts at KUHF in Houston.

In February, the Miami Herald examined Friends of WLRN’s IRS Form 990s and found that while the group’s revenue had tripled over the past decade, the funds it provided to WLRN had remained flat at $3.5 million. Meanwhile, executives were receiving high salaries, including nearly $400,000 for Director of Corporate Marketing Michael Peyton.

In January, Perla Tabares Hantman, chair of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools board, which holds WLRN’s license, required the group to begin submitting quarterly financial reports to the board. Hantman and another school board member did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of Friends of WLRN board chair Michael Kreitzer.